BONDUEL, WI (WTAQ) – A three-day search for a missing baby kangaroo in Shawano County was just seconds away from a happy ending.
Lulu, a red kangaroo, was hit by a driver as she was attempting to cross the road in a rescue attempt.
Rita Mondus, Lulu’s owner, said a couple of friends Sue and Pete Schienert, were keeping their eyes open for Lulu as they were driving home Tuesday evening.
“They saw Lulu, so they stopped the car, put their flashers on and put their lights on bright so someone could see,” Mondus explained. “Pete went out and called Lulu and she started coming right to him.”
“She {Lulu} was just about a foot away from my husband”, Sue Schienert told WTAQ.
Schienert said that was when the vehicle ran over Pete’s foot and hit him with the side view mirror after he jumped back out of the way.
She said he was not seriously injured, but did suffer some bruising.
“I don’t know if she was texting or on the phone or drunk,” Mondus said. “She stopped and said “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” and then took off,” Mondus said. “She knew she hit something, she just did not want to stick around.”
Schienert says she informed the woman that she hit the kangaroo, but the woman got back in the vehicle and took off.
“I am not so sure that she realizes that she had hit my husband. He was very fortunate. I heard him say to me that she is not stopping, but she was coming at such a high rate of speed that I doubt she would have been able to stop in time
Mondus said she received the news of the tragedy soon after.
“They wrapped her up in a coat and brought her to me at the restaurant. There was no hope, she died in Sue’s arms.”
Sue said they do not blame themselves for not being able to complete the rescue of Lulu, and said she wants the woman to step up.
“I want that gal to step forward and take whatever it is that they hand out to her and learn something. The least she could have done is ask is there something that I could do to help, but she did not, she took off.”
The Kangaroo went missing after hopping over a fence Sunday night at the Mondus home in Bonduel.
Rita and John Mondus own a petting zoo in Shawano, and many of their animals, some exotic, stay at their home in the winter months.
“The wallaby and the kangaroo both slept next to each other and the wallaby is so lonely,” Mondus said holding back tears. “You get so emotional with these animals, they are truly part of your family when they are right in your household. I used to bottle feed her every day and they literally become part of your family.”
Mondus confirmed that she is changing some things when it comes to her animals being outside in the future, starting with where they are kept.
“Am I going to change that? Yes, they aren’t going to see the light of day again unless they are in a six-foot fence.”
She also said she plans to get another Kangaroo to replace Lulu but that won’t be easy.
“I want to get another one, but they are $4,000 dollars and that is quite an expense. I am going to get one, I just have to wait a little bit.”
She says Lulu was a pretty popular attraction.
“I want to get another one because the kids love the kangaroos and they are so docile. There is so much that comes from a hands-on petting zoo because they are educational and yet joyful to watch the kids interact with them.”
Rita Mondus, although heartbroken said the community support in helping to find her baby was more than she could imagine.
“The world was helping me in the search. People, in general, were keeping their eyes open and I am so blessed and heartfelt that so many people cared about this little animal.”
Mondus said the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department was notified Tuesday night. On Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Department put out a notice on Facebook asking the community for any information that they might have.
“We were so close, that is the frustrating sad, sad part because we could have saved her had that truck not come along.”
